World Book Day is a worldwide celebration of reading taking place on the first Thursday of March every year! The main aim of World Book Day is to encourage children to read more by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. We know another really great way to get kids more interested in reading and it’s letting them to dress up as their favourite book characters.
Although Book Day is a great chance for your kids to get dressed up, we know that getting ready for Book Day and finding that perfect costume can be a bit stressful, that’s why we’ve put together a list of some great costume options.
We have a range of costumes for girls and boys that are perfect for Book Day, including animals, fairy tale and historical characters as well as officially licensed costumes for everyone’s favourite book characters like Roald Dahl, Where’s Wally and Horrible Histories.
Where’s Wally
Although Where’s Wally is a character that people usually struggle to find, your kids will definitely stand out from the crowd with one of our officially licensed Where’s Wally costumes this Book Day.
Where’s Wally is a collection of books containing illustrations filled with characters carrying out interesting and funny activities. Wally is a character always hidden within the picture. The aim is to find Wally, who wears his distinctive red and white striped shirt, bobble hat and glasses.
Get this unique and fun look with our Where’s Wally costume for boys, which includes the striped top, blue trousers, bobble hat and glasses. For girls we have the Where’s Wanda costume which includes the striped top and tights, blue skirt, bobble hat and glasses.
You’ll even be creating your own Where’s Wally picture in the school photograph – see if your parents can spot you!
We also have this costume available for adults so the whole family can dress up as characters from Where’s Wally, from kits containing the hat and glasses, to full costumes, check out the full range of Where's Wally? Costumes here. 
Dr Seuss
The Cat in the Hat is one of the most popular books written by Dr Seuss and we have a whole range of officially licensed Cat in the Hat Costumes at Smiffys. We’ve also designed the instant Cat in the Hat Kit which includes a hat, gloves and a collar bow for a quick makeover. Don’t forget to complete cat look with our face and body paint!
Horrible Histories
Your kids can dress up as their favourite characters from the Horrible Histories this Book Day. Horrible Histories are a collection of books written by Terry Deary. Surprisingly, history was Terry’s most hated subject in school, but he loved to write. So he has written stories in the most funny and horrible way to try and engage children and teach them about the past. Dressing up as characters from Horrible Histories will not only help your kids engage in reading, but they’ll also learn a thing or two about history.
We have a wide range of costumes for girls and boys, so everyone can find a costume they like. Our favourite costumes for girls include Mary Queen of Scots Costume, Boudica Costume and an Air Warden Costume.
For boys, we love the Henry VIII Costume, the Knight Costume, Tudor Executioner Costume, the Revolting Peasant Boy Costume, Monk Costume and Miner Costume.
Fairy Tale
Enter a magical world full of fairy dust and flying bow and arrows with our Storybook and Fairy Tale Costumes. This year you can go back to your first favourite book to explore the enchanted forest and sing tuneful rhymes as you find inspiration for your child's Book Day Costume.
Young girls will love dressing up as Little Red Riding Hood, a forest fairy or even one of the Princesses that they're likely to have seen in a Disney movie.
Boys can truly let their imagination run wild while dressed up as Robin Hood, or if they want to role play the story of Good vs Evil.. our Dragon and Knight costume collections will be the perfect choice! 
Pirates
If you want your kids to have adventurous Book Day celebrations, we have a range of Pirate Costumes.
Animals
Animal costume is always a great idea if you are looking for an easy outfit option. You will find a big selection of Animal Costumes, from wildlife animals like tigers to cows and pigs at Smiffys. Our animal costume collection includes costumes, onesies, instant kits and accessories to create different animal looks.
Historical
Your kids can explore the historical side of World Book Day with our costumes. From Roman and Viking costumes to wartime costumes, you’ll be sure to find a costume for your little one. Checkout the Historical Costume range here.
We hope that you got loads of costume inspiration for the Book Day and you will be able to help your little ones look their best on one of the most important days in the school calendar. Don’t forget to show us your Book Day outfits on Instagram or Facebook!